NOT TONY BLAIR BUT JIMMY CARTER SHOULD BE SPECIAL ENVOY TO THE MIDDLE EAST

I wrote earlier today how Tony Blair is the wrong choice for special envoy of the Quartet to the Middle East. Blair is obviously George Bush's choice. Why? Because Blair is Bush's poodle. Bush dominates Blair. That is obvious from not only how Tony Blair has accepted Bush's illegal war without reservation but also from their body language at their many joint news conferences.

However, I do have one outstanding choice for the job. Jimmy Carter. Former president Carter has detailed knowledge of the history of the Palestinians in Gaza and in the West Bank. He has the historical background to know that Israel is often in the wrong, that Israel has taken advantage of its military might to continue to build settlements in Palestinian territory, to build the odious wall even encroaching on Palestinian land, and to illegally refuse to give back territory acquired during the 1967 Six Day War.

But Jimmy Carter is no poodle, no puppet of George Bush. Therefore, we are out of luck. Bush wants someone to dominate, to bully, and that person is Tony Blair, not Jimmy Carter.

JIMMY CARTER ATTACKS BUSH AS THE "WORST"

The AP reports that former president Jimmy Carter said in a story that appeared Saturday in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that the presidency and administration of George W. Bush has been the worst in the history of the United States.

"I think as far as the adverse impact on the nation around the world, this administration has been the worst in history," Carter told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in a story that appeared in the newspaper's Saturday editions.

"The overt reversal of America's basic values as expressed by previous administrations, including those of George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon and others, has been the most disturbing to me.""

The response of the Republican National Committee was inane and meaninglessly ad hominem. When you don't like the message, attack and slime the messenger.

""Apparently, Sunday mornings in Plains for former President Carter includes hurling reckless accusations at your fellow man," said Amber Wilkerson, Republican National Committee spokeswoman. She said it was hard to take Carter seriously because he also "challenged Ronald Reagan's strategy for the Cold War.""

A question for the RNC spokesperson: why does she think that Mr. Carter's statement is a "reckless accusation?" How is it reckless? And how is it an "accusation?" The answer is it is neither reckless (meaning having a duty of care but still taking known risks) nor is it an accusation, as is self-evident. So much for the Republican non-response.

JIMMY CARTER SLAMS TONY BLAIR FOR ENABLING BUSH'S IRAQ WAR

In an interview with the BBC, former president Jimmy Carter criticizes soon-to-be former prime minister Tony Blair for his subservience to George Bush and the disastrous Bush invasion and occupation of Iraq.

"Mr Carter told the BBC Mr Blair's backing for US President George W Bush had been "apparently subservient". He said the UK's "almost undeviating" support for "the ill-advised policies of President Bush in Iraq had been a major tragedy for the world". "

See my post on May 18, 2007, on the embarrassing adoration apparent in the eyes of Tony Blair for George Bush. No wonder British newspapers refer to Blair as "bush's poodle."

The BBC reports:

"Mr Carter said that if Mr Blair had distanced himself from the Bush administration's policy during the run-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq it might have made a crucial difference to American political and public opinion . . . . "So I think the combination of Bush and Blair giving their support to this tragedy in Iraq has strengthened the effort and has made the opposition less effective and prolonged the war and increased the tragedy that has resulted." "